1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical needles and means for safely handling same, and more particularly to a needle sheath and stand or holder therefor which enable one-handed use and disposal of medical needles such as hypodermic needles and electrosurgical probes or so-called needle electrodes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because of risk of infection it has become standard practice in medical and health care circles to dispose of medical needles such as hypodermic needles and needle electrodes after one use. As articles of commerce, such needles are supplied to user personnel in sheaths or like containers from which they are withdrawn for use, then returned to after use for disposal. Handling of the needle after the needle has been in contact with a patient exposes the medical user to possible infection with a communicable disease such as AIDS producing virus and there is serious risk of the user inadvertently handling a used needle in such a manner as to accidentally prick a finger or other body part when reinserting a used needle into its sheath for disposal. To avoid such needless risk as much as possible, there have evolved a considerable variety of apparatus and techniques for handling used needles one-handedly, such as providing needle sheaths with flared openings and providing sheath supporting stands or holders for the sheaths.
Various known holders or stands for disposable needles and needle sheaths, for the general purpose of enabling single-handed or one-handed use of a disposable needle are disclosed in Cooke U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,578 (wherein a needle sheath is provided a generally elliptical cross section and is wedged into a notched stand by slight rotation of the sheath), in Halbach U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,324 and Aichimayr U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,476 (in which the needle sheath is retained in a holder by a cocked wedging or cocked wedging and gripping action), in villaveces U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,199, Baskus U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,083, and Capaccio U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,469 (in which threads are provided between a needle sheath and its holder to retain the sheath in the holder), and in Armstrong U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,173 (in which the needle sheath is simply retained on a support surface by means of an adhesive pad).
Another known arrangement for holding a disposable needle sheath in a stand or holder by a gripping action is disclosed in Collett U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,577. In this arrangement, the needle cap holder comprises a base 22 with an indentation 24 in which the tip 20 of the needle sheath 18 fits and above which there is a plate 26 with a V-shaped opening 36 against the sides of which the sheath 18 is pressed to hold the sheath 18 while the needle 16 is withdrawn. Similar holder arrangements are also shown in this patent at FIGS. 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9, all of which have a tip receiving portion such as at 46 in FIG. 3 and a V-shaped opening such as at 48 in FIG. 3 to perform a like sheath gripping function.